


Demise's Lament - Undertale Short Story

by BuddyChumPal



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Completed, F/M, Female Reader, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Going to Hell, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, So much angst there's probably going to be leftovers, Sorry Not Sorry, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Saves and Resets, and left hurt to run the show, because we're going on a ride, except comfort took a permanent vacation, hold on to your hats guys and gals, love me some edge, to edgeville
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-06-26 16:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19772095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuddyChumPal/pseuds/BuddyChumPal
Summary: You and Sans hadn't been known to fight as a couple, but of course, there's a first time for everything, right? One thing leads to another and you find yourself in the Underground Post-Pacifist, but something is going very terribly wrong.Yes, this story is cross-posted. You can also find it on Quotev, same username.





	1. Irrational

_~Your Perspective~_

_How did I decide it would be a good idea to go to Mt Ebott. Not only is Sans going to be furious with me, but I'm so god damned exhausted and this mountain is only half the reason why. Why couldn't my brain have chosen a rational place to go under emotional distress?_

Of course, that, would be nearly impossible. Anyone could _hope_ to stay rational while having an argument, but that's never the case.

Sans, your boyfriend of nearly 6 months, hadn't done anything wrong. It was you who'd lashed out, and you who'd left in tears. While the topic of said argument had seemed like the end of the world at the time, looking back on it now, it was just plain ridiculous. So ridiculous, that, Sans hadn't even moved from his spot on the couch as you'd slammed the door behind you. Though maybe a small part of you is still a little bit upset, but that's aside from the point. He's likely snapped out of his stupor by now and is frantically searching for you. Guilt washes over you at the thought.

With that in mind, you too, snap out of your daze and realize your surroundings. It's night out, and you're a good way up the mountain. Although it hurts your pride, calling Sans and having him teleport you home is really your only option. 

You reach for you back pocket where you'd left your phone but... _I-its not here!?_ You frantically pat yourself down, searching your front and back pockets twice as well as Sans's hoodie that you're currently wearing. _Oh no._

In your furious haze, left your phone at Sans's house, and now have no way of getting home. If it were day right now this wouldn't be an issue, but now, in the dead of night, the chances of getting lost are high since you haven't really been paying attention to where you were going. The only thing you can really do is keep moving, and hope to find the entrance to the underground, where you might be able to get help from any monsters that still remain there.

Sans had taken you to the gaping hole in the mountain before, but no further than that.

 _' 'that is an adventure for another day, sweetheart.'_

A gust of wind blows past, and you shiver, just realizing how cold it's getting, even with the hoodie. 

_I really gotta get moving._

And with that, you continue your trek up the mountain. Trees and boulders start to blur together until eventually you reach the familiar cave opening. As you step inside, the walls help to block the cold. The eerie howl of the wind slowly quiets as you make your way towards the back of the cavern, the only sounds remaining are your own footsteps and the occasional drip of water. Eventually, you reach your destination.

_The drop._

At this particular part of the cave, the ceiling opens up, allowing you to see the silvery light of the moon and stars. _Too bad Sans never visited the ruins while trapped in the Underground._

Since the barrier has been broken, vegetation has grown up all along the sides of the walls. The thought of climbing down the vines makes you uneasy, and while Frisk survived the fall, you aren't taking your chances, especially not without Toriel and her healing magic waiting below. Taking one step over to test your weight on the largest vine you can find, you come to the conclusion that it should be fairly safe, as long as you're careful. Grabbing the vine you tested, you find a nearby boulder and tie it securely, also wrapping and tying it around your waist. You roll up your sleeves, then slowly but surely make your way down, making to double and even triple check that the next vine will be capable of holding your weight. Around half way down, you start to get more confident, moving a bit quicker. But your overstep your bounds and reach for a vine far too small to hold your weight.

_SNAP!_

You cry out in shock as the vines supporting your left side snap, and the vine around your middle goes tight as you try to support yourself on the two remaining vines. In doing so, your arm slips and crashes into the wall. You hiss in pain, pulling back your arm. It's steadily bleeding, a large cut running from your elbow halfway down your forearm. It throbs as you try to right yourself, and by time you do, blood is dripping to the floor below.

_Shit shit shit._

You hastily make it the rest of the way down, taking nearly twice as long as it did to get to where you were, and by time you do, you're feeling dizzy and lightheaded. You stagger to the bed of flowers in the middle of the chamber, where you sit down and start to remove Sans's hoodie.

_There's no way I'm using this to staunch the bleeding_

Setting the hoodie aside, you rip off the sleeves on your shirt. You hiss as the cloth makes contact with the open wound, and slowly clean and wrap your forearm. 

When you finally get your arm cleaned up, your exhaustion hits you once more, and you don't hesitate to fall asleep.

*** * ***

You can hear something moving around distinctly to your left. Though it doesn't sound like it's trying to be very quiet, you don't hear the sound of footsteps. It must be around dawn, because your eyes, even shut, are starting to pick up some light from the hole above. You start to wake up more when you hear a sour, high pitched voice:

"Ugh, that's S _mileys_ shirt. What the hell is a human doing with it?" He's muttering things to himself, as though you weren't right there. You realize you aren't wearing the sweatshirt he is referring to, rather, it's sitting somewhere next to you, where you had discarded it the night before.

Without thinking you bolt up, and scramble away from the creature. You get a good look at him. He's using a vine to inspect Sans's hoodie. A vine...?

He's a flower. Flower... flower... where have you heard that before. Oh...

It's _Flowey._ You've heard _soo_ much about him.

He stares at you in shock, as if he wasn't expecting you to wake up. But then, he drops the hoodie in favor of inspecting you instead. His venomous smile makes you sick, and your head spins from sitting up so quickly thanks to the cut on your arm.

"You know, this sweater" He gestures rather aggressively to the discarded hoodie, "belongs to an _old friend_ of mine. Where did you get it?" His stem twists and snakes closer to you, tone dangerous.

You gather up all the confidence you can muster and snarl.

"Beat it, _weed._ I don't need your shit right now."

He stills, expression neutral. But then his smile twists, even more horrifyingly wide than before. _That was a really bad idea._

"You're either an _idiot_ or... no, you know what's going on here, don't you?"

He giggles and turns his head away from you.

"That _trashbag_ knows _nothing_ about me or how I got here. He plays _victim_ , whining about all the 'terrors' he's seen throughout the resets. But let me tell you something..."

 __ _**"** He's only seen the tip of the iceberg!"_

His head slowly turns back towards you, and you let out an involuntary cry of horror. His face is covered in black goop. It's oozing out of his eyes and mouth, and he's _cackling._

**"And _you_! You haven't even spotted that iceberg over the horizon. There's so many things that Sans is hiding from you. The horrible, _horrible_ things he's done!"**

 **"I can't wait till _she"_** His cackles turn to vicious coughing at the word, and he hacks up a large wad of black tar, spitting it on the floor. **"Gets her hands on _you_."**

And with one final, hysterical laugh, he slips back under the earth, as if he were never there. You stand there in shock. You didn't think Flowey was _that_ unhinged. 

_I guess Sans's warnings didn't really do him justice._

At some point, you realize just how dizzy and lightheaded you've gotten since your encounter with Flowey. The putrid smell of that tar he spat out isn't helping either. You sit down, hoping to relieve your head a little, and scooch closer to the tar. Upon inspection, you see that the tar landed in the middle of some flowers. The flowers are wilted, stems leaning outward as if to get as far away from the stuff as possible. But you, in fact, feel quite the opposite.

There's something about it that makes you feel compelled to get even closer than you already are. A small part of your _soul_ feels as if it's magnetized towards the substance. 

_I wonder what it feels like..._

In your confused daze, you put your hand out, reaching for the tar. The closer your hand gets, the faster your arm seems to be moving. Your index finger makes contact, and you reel back at the intense pain, or you try to anyways.

The tar seems to have glued itself to not only the floor, but now your finger. The pain is so intense, your injured arm throbs at the quickening of your heartbeat. You jerk your hand back over and over, but to no avail. It only seems to make the pain worse. It feels as though the tar is eating through your skin and flesh, burning and burning and burning. You flop over and writhe in the bed of flowers, looking for any sort of escape or relief.

But then, you feel something. The tar seems to expand, getting impossibly larger, slowly engulfing your hand, and then snakes it's way up your arm. 

_It burns so bad!_

The tar passes over your injured forearm, and you start to see spots in your vision. You can do nothing but tremble and scream in pain as it makes it up your arm, onto your shoulder, up your neck....

_No no nonono please no._

It reaches your face, and starts to push itself in your mouth and down your throat. You gag as your throat burns, like bile but a hundred times worse. Tears stream down your face.

_I'm going to die here._

The pain is so intense, that you pass out. But before you can reach the very depths of your subconscious where not even dreams would be able to reach you, you hear a voice in your mind.

" ** _Finally... A chance at redemption."_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe I actually found the motivation to write this. It started as an idea I had a couple weeks ago, starting with the whole tar situation, then I slowly came up with some of the plot and BAM! Story! I intend this to be a short, maybe a couple chapters at most, but hey, we'll see where this takes us. Who knows, I may even do a full Sans X Reader someday...
> 
> Any sort of feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome, I really need to improve when it comes to writing, so don't be a stranger if there's something in here that you think can be improved. 


	2. Frantic

_~Sans's Perspective~_

_I don't need to worry._

_She'll come around._

_Just give her time._

These thoughts don't pacify my anxious mind in the slightest. In fact, those are probably some of the only positive thought's swirling around in the eye of the 'what if's' storm raging in my head.

I continue to pace in my living room, while my bro watches me from the kitchen.

"BROTHER! WHILE I CAN SEE THAT YOU'RE UP AND MOVING FOR ONCE, I DON'T THINK THE CIRCUMSTANCES MERIT APPLAUSE. IT'S ALREADY WHAT YOU DO MOST OF THE TIME, BUT YOU SHOULD SIT DOWN AND RELAX. SHE'LL COME BACK WHEN SHE'S READY!" 

I sigh. "yeah. thanks for the advice bro, I'd be _lost_ without ya." He doesn't even react to the dark pun, rather, he says:

"THAT'S NO WAY TO THINK, SHE'S PROBABLY JUST HAVING A ROUGH DAY. IF ANYTHING, SHE WENT HOME. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DON'T GO AFTER HER."

"i just want to give her some space." A _s much as it kills me to do so._ She's told me she likes her space when she's upset, so I'm trying my hardest to do that for her. 

Of course, my brain being, well, the 'jumping to conclusions' type, isn't really helping me in obliging to her request. My soul keeps doing dreadful flips, which isn't normal. It's what's making me so anxious.

Something is _wrong_.

"you know what? i'm gonna go look for her." I'll be damned if I stand by and let something happen to her. Even if it means ignoring her request, at least I'll know she's okay.

"WELL THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL COME WITH YOU ON THIS ENDEAVOR-"

"no, pap. i need you to stay here, in case she comes back." Partly the truth.

"OH, I SEE. WELL THEN, I SHALL HOUSE SIT AND AWAIT Y/N'S RETURN!" At least he stays enthusiastic, I don't know what I'd do with Papyrus if he was as stubborn as me.

"thanks bro, you're the best." I grab a generic black jacket, not wanting to get cold in the absence of my signature hoodie, and teleport to her apartment. As anxious as I am, I teleport to her door rather than right inside. She's probably still upset with me, and most likely going to be more so after this.

I knock rather loudly, stepping from foot to foot as I wait for the onslaught of anger I'm bound to receive. A minute passes, then two.

The door to my left opens and closes. I jump, feeling magic gather in my left eye instinctively. I quickly extinguish it, just a neighbor. I turn to him, and notice the scowl on his face. Doesn't matter what he thinks right now.

"hey, uh, have you seen Y/N around recently?" He doesn't even react. Instead, he continues his walk down the hall without looking back. When he thinks he's out of earshot, I hear him mutter.

"As If I'd care of the whereabouts of a _monster lover_." I shake in rage, magic returning in full force, but restrain myself. It's really not the time to be fighting over these things. I turn back to the door. It's been more than enough time for her to answer. I teleport inside.

"Y/N?" I call, though it's fairly pointless. As soon as I stepped out of the shortcut I knew she wasn't here, the apartment feels too empty. I search top to bottom anyway, and find nothing.

_Where in the hell is she?!_

I rack my brain for all the places she might have gone. And I'm left with two options; Her best friend, and the park.

While the former sounds way more likely than the latter, its entirely possible. She used to go there all the time as a kid. It's mostly abandoned thanks to today's indoor lifestyle, so it became like a safe space for her. I was really surprised that she even told me that, but I'm thankful for it now.

I map my path internally. I'll call Y/N's friend, and if she's there, I'll head that way. If not, well, said friends house is on the way to the park anyway, so it doesn't really matter. Y/N used my phone to call her recently, so I've got her number in my history. I dial and put the phone to my metaphorical ear.

It seems like it's been way too long before she picks up.

"Hello? Sans? Is that you?"

"heh, yeah... wait, how did you know it was me?"

"I saved your number in case you ever called again. Seems like it's a good thing I did."

"yeah, really. have you heard from Y/N in the past hour? she kinda ran off on me after a-" I sigh, guilty for even having to think about it. "a fight."

"You fought with her?! Ohhh man, I am so gonna have your skull for this! What did you say to her-"

"no, no! you misunderstand, _she_ fought with _me_. it was such a trivial thing too. i think she was just having a bad day."

"Oh. I see, well no. I haven't seen her. Just text her, _bonehead."_

 _"_ i would, but she left her _tele-bone_ at my house. why else would I call you?" The realization that Y/N is actually MIA must have sent her spurring into action, because the next thing I know she's back to yelling at me.

"Well what are you standing around calling me for!? You should be looking for her!"

"i _am_ looking for her. i'm at her apartment right now. she's not here."

"Well I'm on my way over right now, stay where you are!" 

I deadpan. "don't bother. you'll slow me down anyway."

"Hey, she's my friend too-"

"oh, and thanks for blowing out my non-existent eardrums." I can hear her squawking at me from the other end of the phone as I hang up. Just for good measure, I text her.

_You: don't worry about her, she's in good skele-hands ;)_

 _Y/N's wife: Sure thing there_ bucko _. If you won't let me search with you, I'll do it myself._

Perseverance, a fancy word for stubborn. 

_You: i don't care what you do, just don't get into trouble. i've got an idea on where she might be anyway._

And with that, I teleport to the park. By now, the sun has sunk over the horizon, resulting in a drop in temperature. I pull my jacket closer and venture closer to the jungle gym.

I hear the swings creak in the wind, a sure sign of her absence. I circle around the whole park, checking every nook and cranny, calling her name. 

_But nobody came._

A shiver runs down my spine. 

This part of the city is on the outskirts, near the base of the mountain. I look up to the moon, and my eyes involuntarily find their way looking back at the mountain. There's no way she would have gone there, she's got no emotional attachment to it and there's no reasoning behind it, but for some reason, my soul feels drawn there, after everything that's happened in that hellhole.

_It just doesn't make sense._

I turn away. I've already been all over the place tonight, I don't need to waste anymore magic making a useless trip, it would be a real drain on my reserves.

I'm overreacting, she'll be back tomorrow, laughing at my terrible puns and snuggling with me on the overly uncomfortable couch.

_Yeah._

Though I hate wishful thinking, I don't have much choice. The frantic and uncoordinated teleporting has worn me out, and any searching I did now would be ineffective. I teleport home, right to my room. I don't want to deal with papyrus right now. He'll be heartbroken, and I can't do that to him just yet.

I fall back on my bed, not bothering to take my jacket off. I know I wont sleep, but I lay back anyway. I spend hours rolling around in bed, but eventually, sleep catches me off guard.

My nightmares flare up that night, worse than ever. I'm back in judgement hall, killing Chara over and over and over again. But every time she dies, It's Y/N's cold, lifeless body I find on the floor in her place. 

_I have to find her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters! Wow, am I actually motivated to write? I hope it stays that way : /   
> Like I said, this story is supposed to stay on the shorter side. If people really like it, than I might consider doing something longer.
> 
> Also thank you for the 67 hits as well as the kudos and bookmarks <3!! In less than two days, y'all are crazy!


	3. Evil

_~Your Perspective~_

You wake up confused and disoriented. Was it night already? Looking around, you see nothing but black. Come to think of it... You look down, and realize you don't even have a _body._ Instead, you're looking at your soul. Lime green for kindness. 

_What the hell is this place?_

In your confusion, you fail to spot the bright red soul forming in front of you. 

**"Took you long enough to wake up. You've been out over a day, and I can't do shit until your soul is at least responsive."** In surprise, you look up to the red soul. A spectral form has appeared it, so that it's centered in her chest. She is wearing a green shirt with yellow stripes. Her cheeks are flushed. 

The bright red soul in her chest seems to be tainted with the black goop you saw with flowey. It runs all around the soul, and strings over to yours, keeping them bound together.

"What the fuck is going on? Who are you?!"

**"Wow, you're dense, aren't you?"** She's smirking, but somehow her face holds much more threat than Sans's despite the similar facial expression. She gestures somewhere behind her, and an image flickers life. That's... that's from your perspective! You're walking around, supposedly in the ruins, holding a knife. It's covered in dust.

She watches your face change as you regard the knife, and she laughs.

**"You're worried about the _knife_? Oh that's gold. Kindness souls were always the most peculiar to me."**

"You're using _my_ body to kill innocent monsters? That's sick." She regards you with a mock thoughtful expression. 

**"How else do you suppose _you_ gain LOVE." **Oh- _oh._

 _"_ How _I_ gain LOVE? Oh that's real funny. Y _ou're_ the one in charge here, aren't you?"

**"I suppose. But who is it that those monsters see cutting them down? Word spreads quickly you know, especially among monsters."** She wears an oddly specific expression at that, as if she's reliving something. You then realize. 

_Sans._

How could you ever face him again after this? Even if you do manage to get out of this, he's _The Judge,_ and could easily see the LOVE you've gained, even if it wasn't your fault. Chara seems to be reading your mind.

**"This isn't necessarily about the comedian, but of course, his presence _would_ be an added bonus." **Somehow you know she's lying. There's no way she would use you if this wasn't about him.

"He won't ever come back to this shithole, I hope you know that. Besides, how would he even know I came down here?" Her eyes light up in sick anticipation.

**_"We_ are going to send him a message, loud and clear." **She laughed maniacally. It was distorted and unnaturally low pitched. In that moment her face was exactly like Flowey's; black goop oozing from her eyes and mouth, and absolutely insane. She faded away, her laughter echoing endlessly throughout the void.

And that moment, you realized that Sans, the funny, laid back skeleton you'd had as a boyfriend, was _never_ going to forgive you for what **_she_** was going to make you do.

_~Sans's Perspective~_

Days later, and we've filed a missing person report. I searched for two days without rest, and came up with nothing. While I know that not sleeping is only going to diminish my ability to search, I know I won't sleep anyways. My nights have consisted of tossing and turning without her. Along with those damn nightmares of course.

The police have told us they'll do their best to find her as quickly as possible, but something tells me that just because a group of _monsters_ filed the report, they aren't going to be all that motivated to pursue her case.

I'm pacing in my room, bouncing on my feet, doing anything but _sitting still_. I can't stand to think there's nothing I can do as Y/N is god knows where, probably hurt and _alone_. That kills me more than anything.

I jump as I hear a quiet knock from my door. 

"yeah?" I call, even though I know what Papyrus wants. 

"BROTHER? I-I... I KNOW YOU'RE BUSY, BUT I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD READ ME A STORY BEFORE I GO TO BED?" I give my best smile. It feels pained.

"sure bro. i've always got time for you." 

I walk him back to his room, and I see he's already picked a book out and placed it on his race car bed. 

"what do we have here?" I say as I take a seat at the edge of his bed."'the lone kitten'. never seen this one before paps."

"OH YES, TORIEL GOT IT FOR ME. SHE THOUGHT I WOULD LIKE IT BECAUSE IT HAS A NICE ENDING." _Name doesn't match all that well then._

"well that's good. alright, let's see here..." I open up the book and start reading.

"there was a mama cat that lived on a farm. she was the mama of _all_ the other cat's living there. they all listened to her, acted like her, looked like her, and followed her one rule. _don't talk to the dogs._

 _"_ one day the mama cat had another litter of kittens. all tabbies, except for one. she was a peachy orange with a white underbelly, and didn't fit in with the rest of the tabbies on the farm."

I see a flicker in the corner of my eye. I ignore it.

"she also took to talking to the dogs. she didn't like the way the other cat's talked. they spreaded rumors and only talked among'st themselves, never branching out to any of the other animals living on the farm. they were snooty. the dogs just wanted to have fun. they were open and didn't care what other people thought."

My vision starts to blur and glitch. I keep reading.

"one day, the lone kitten got lost in the woods beyond the farm. she cried and cried for mama cat, or any other cat for that matter, to come and bring her back to the security of her home.

" _but nobody came."_

I look up to Papyrus. His head glitches then snaps unnaturally to the side. Dust falls to the bed, scarf fluttering on top of the pile. I force my eyes away.

 _"_ days later, she had given up on crying for her own kin. rather, she called the dogs. and the dogs, with their strong hearing and sense of smell, came to her rescue. they brought her home because they were her real family, the ones who accepted her for who she was. from then on, she stayed with the dogs, because they were the family she chose, and she would always be there for them as they had for her."

The flicker from earlier becomes a flash of silver. I feel a ghost pain in my chest.

"the end." 

"WOWIE. I'LL HAVE TO THANK TORIEL FOR FINDING SUCH A WONDERFUL BOOK FOR ME!"

"yeah, you do that." I trailed off. I was too busy lost in thought. Already walking out of the room, book abandoned on the floor. "g'night."

"Goodnight, Sans." I didn't even notice his quiet voice, I was already down the hall, stumbling toward my room. I wipe at my eyes, and they come back covered in blue tears.

_Damn her! What could she possibly want!?_

I lean back on my dresser, and suddenly I'm in judgement hall, leaning back on one of the too familiar pillar. Footsteps echo in the hall, and I don't even have to look up to know who it is.

"what the FUCK do you want!?" I don't have time for her shit

**"Long time no see, Sansy~. It's been a while."** I freeze up. That's not Chara's voice. I look up, only to find Y/N standing in front of me. She's wearing the same clothes from the day she went missing. They're tattered and covered in dust. I instinctively look to her hand, only to have my suspicions confirmed. A knife is conveniently at the ready.

I'm frozen in shock and terror. 

"Y/N...? wha- what are you... why are you here? why are you doing this?" I can only suspect the look of devastation on my face.

**"Wow, you're a lovesick puppy aren't you? She's made you _soft._ " **So it is Chara. I feel my eyes go dark as blue magic begins to spark around me.

"don't you dare hurt her." 

**" _Hurt_ her? Sans, I thought you were smarter than this." **She leers and throws her hands up in the air. **" _This_ is nothing more than a ****hallucination. Though..."** She regards me in mock thought. 

**"This?"** Papyrus appears in front of me. Her knife slashes at him and he crumbles to dust in front of me once again. His head tumbles to the floor, a defeated look on his face. **"Could very well become real."** Her smile is full of sick delight.

She knows she has me cornered. Both Y/N and papyrus are at risk, and she know's I can't decide. How she must love watching me squirm.

In my distress, I failed to notice ~~Y/N's,~~ _no, Chara's_ slow approach. She makes the final dash toward me and cuts me down, hitting me square in the chest. I feel myself fall to the ground, hand clutching my chest. _Just a hallucination._ She slowly approaches and roughly puts her foot on my chest, and leans down close.

**"For old time's sake Sans, be there."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter is the charm (I guess?). Whoo, things getting more interesting. Also this book is probably gonna be a bit longer than I thought. But that's okay, because everybody likes more content, right(?)


	4. Confused

_~Your Perspective~_

_I never thought I'd have to live my own life in the passenger seat._

Never once did you ever think about what it would be like, you never had to imagine such a scenario because it never occurred to me that such a think might happen. It's odd, sitting in the void that is your own mind, watching a bright feed showing you what's going in your own life. It's also painful, seeing your own body betray you. Performing, choosing, thinking, all without your consent. It's not _you,_ yet it's you that people see.

In the time since your body had been... _possessed,_ (seems to be the most appropriate word), you hadn't learned anything about the strange girl aside from her name. Chara. As far as where you're going, is still a mystery.

Since you've never actually been to the Underground, your location is nothing but educated guesses from all the tidbits you've gathered from your friends throughout the months, but from the looks of it, you're currently approaching Snowdin. It's mostly empty, light's off, houses shut. It gives the place a more eerie feel than the cheery little town that the skeleton brothers described.

Chara checks all the houses on her way through. **'Looking for free EXP'** she'd been muttering. The thought terrified you. She may be gaining EXP for her own purposes, but what will that do to _you_ when you get out of this? _If_ you ever get out of this. The houses were all unlocked and empty, to your relief.

You reach the edge of town, passing by the final house, when she stops. It is a two story house, adorned with dimmed Christmas lights. There's a balcony on the right side of the second floor, as well as a side door on the left side. Chara appears in front of you within the void, as she does every time she has a snarky comment to make.

**"Let's take a look around, shall we?"**

"Chara what are you doing? This is somebody's house, we can't just walk in like we own the place!"

**"Did no one ever take you to the Underground?"** She asks, looking genuinely surprised all while maintaining a cocky grin. **"Interesting."**

"Who's house is this?" _I'm pretty sure I have an idea._

**"Let's take a look around."** She repeats, avoiding the question. **"I want to see if you can guess."** She walks up to the door and gives the door handle a tug. The first house to be _locked_. She expertly uses her knife to pick the lock without so much as a bat of the eye.

She saunters inside as if she hadn't just broken into someone's home. Looking around you can see that the house is actually fairly small. There's a visible kitchen from where you stand at the entrance, with an abnormally tall sink. A rickety old couch is placed in the middle of the room, and there's a spot on the carpet in front of it, marking where a TV stand might have once been. _I don't blame whoever lived here for abandoning the couch. It looks like it's on it's last legs._

She takes the stairs up, walking agonizingly slowly. When she finally reaches the top, you can see that there is a hallway with two doors. The first contains nothing but some dusty shelves and desks as well as a box in the corner. Chara walks over to it and picks up the contents. 

* It's a single bone labelled 'SPECIAL ATTACK'

Chara tosses the bone to the side and leaves to go to the next room. This room is locked as the house was. After some expert lockpicking, you find yourself in a rather messy room. It seems that _whoever_ lived here didn't care much about their personal belongings, as it looks as though no one ever left. There's a bare mattress in one corner, a desk in the other, and a treadmill in the middle of the room. The room is littered with socks.

By now Chara knows you've figured out who lives here, so why is she dragging this out?

"Okay Chara, I've seen enough. Let's please leave." Chara is oddly silent for a moment, then she finally appears in front of you, and she is cackling.

**"Ohh that's real funny Y/N."** Her face then turns deadly serious, as if she hadn't been laughing. **"Since when are you in control!?"** She suddenly disappears, but your body is moving again. Your hand lashes out with a glowing red knife towards the nearest thing. The treadmill. The searing hot knife is flung at impressive speed, melting through the device and hitting the floor with a solid _thunk!_

**"You have no power here! You have no say in what goes on! I do, and I say that I have unfinished business here."** Chara reaches her arm out and the knife whizzes back to her hand. The smell of smoke is now thick in the air.

_Oh no. No no no no._

"Chara stop! There's no need to do this!" Though you know your protesting is pointless. She throws the knife again, this time at the desk, still littered with papers covered in Sans's handwriting. It combusts upon contact, creating a fiery inferno quickly spreading over the carpet.

She moves from room to room, knife abandoned, using instead colorful fire produced straight from her fingertips. Had the situation been any different, you would have found it beautiful. Instead, you found it both confusing and terrifying that she had magic of her own.

She then moves back outside, taking the side door back inside. Wait, you didn't see another door in the house. That's because this door leads down to a small basement. Considering the fire raging above, it's extremely cool down here, and you can see that the room is clearly lined with metal, supposedly for safety reasons considering there's a lab in the basement of Sans's house.

_He never told me about this. Or Chara, technically speaking. Maybe he didn't know her? No, she clearly knew_ him.

The small room consists of a workbench taking up most of the side wall. It's covered in blueprints, notes, papers, you name it. At the end of the room is a large tarp covering something fairly large.

_I never knew Sans was a scientist! Did he work with Alphys?_

Chara ignores the tarp for now, instead she turns to the worktable, picking up paper after paper, burning them as she goes, leaving nothing but ashes on the table. It looks like a _lifetimes_ worth of work, gone. Just like that. She turns to the tarp, lays a hand on it, and it crumbles to ashes on the floor, leaving a giant machine in it's wake. To you, it's just a giant hunk of metal, but you _know_ there's something more to it, you can feel it. Though it looks to be broken, but it also looks like Sans has been trying to fix it for a while. _Probably why his room is still full of his stuff, looks like he still stayed here sometimes._

Chara gazes at the machine for what seems like forever, then climbs the steps back outside and watches the house burn to the ground, leaving nothing but the mostly unscathed basement buried under a mountain of ashes. 

**"We still have a long way to go, Y/N... And a lot of EXP to gain."**

"No, _you_ do. There is no we, I'm not affiliated with you."

**"Oh but you are."** She gives a pointed look at the strings of black tar connecting your souls together. **"Quite literally as well as metaphorically. No matter what you do, or what you think you believe, at the end of the day, It's you they see."**

You can't bring yourself to correct her, because in reality, she's not wrong, and you don't have the energy to argue with her right now. You need to save your strength, maybe then you'll be able to push her out of your mind like the parasite she is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter is slightly on the shorter side. Unfortunately even small amounts of writer's block can be a bitch sometimes. But that's okay, because I already know what I wan't for this story when it comes to the big picture, and whoo boy, you guys are in for a ride.


	5. Hysterical

_~Your Perspective~_

You and Chara made it through Waterfall with no trouble. Nobody confronted you, nobody talked to you, nobody was even there it seemed like. Despite your current situation, Waterfall was quite a calming place. You'd always liked rain, and places such as the beach in general, and listening to the drip of rain and gurgle of water really helped you to collect your thoughts.

Chara didn't let you in on what she did to make Sans aware of your endangerment, but you know that she most likely told him that I'm in the Underground. You don't know when or where he'll find you, but you do know that he's your only chance at helping you fight Chara. She has you supressed in your own mind, tucked away in some dark little corner while she reigns supreme. He might know a way to get her out of your body. So for now, you remain compliant, passive, collecting your energy and keeping a low profile.

You knew you were on your way to Hotland when Waterfall began to get even more humid than it already was, if that was even possible. You could see the steam rising from the stream as you walked, even some inactive lava hissing beneath the water. The caverns began to gain a more orange hue, and eventually you reached a point where the walls opened up to one _massive_ room. From here, you could see _all_ of Hotland. The path continues and splits off in different directions, but where there was no floor, there was an immense drop to a pool of lava surrounding the entirety of the cavern. Far of in the distance you could see a huge metal building coming right out of the lava. The Core.

Sans and Alphys had explained to you how The CORE used the massive amounts of heat coming from Hotland to power the entire Underground. It's an impressive feat, and now the monsters are working out deals to continue to use The Core and sell of the energy for profits. It's been a real spike in their economy. You can also see Alphys's old lab from here, which you're assuming Chara won't let you explore, just because she knows you're dying to.

Chara begins her trek through Hotland. You can tell just by looking that being in the heat in addition to have already been walking for so long is really taking a toll on her stamina. As much as she tries to hide it, she's sweating, clearly short of breath and panting. 

**"Your body is so out of shape, I could be so much further right now if it was me."**

"Are you calling me fat?" _Ouch._

**"Pfft, no. I'm just saying it would be better if I was in my own body."** _Sure._

"Alright then, if you say so." _Wait a second._ "Hold up. You're clearly a child. How the heck could your body be more fit than mine. I'm not totally out of shape you know." She doesn't answer the question. You think you know why, anyways. The answer makes you feel sick, even without a body.

You watch in silence as the scene of Hotland passes by. It isn't until you get closer to Alphys's lab that things start happening. You see people walking towards you. RG 01 and RG 02 to be exact. They spot 'you' and start running.

"Hey, Y/N!"

"Yeah, like, Y/N."

Your first instinct was to call out and wave them over, but then realization settled in and you began to panic. _No no, nonono you can't kill them. Get away! Run far away from here!_ You wanted to warn them but you had no voice. Chara could feel you squirming in discomfort.

**"What's the matter?"** She drawled to you. **"Don't you want to go meet your friends?"**

"No..." You whispered, mostly to yourself. She turned her attention back outward towards the guards.

"RG 01! RG 02! Over here!" Chara called, completely stealing your voice in the matter of seconds.

"Y/N!" They call in unison, stopping in front of Chara. "Like, where have you been!" RG 01 asks, panting.

"Yeah. Sans has been looking all over for you." 

"Undyne like, sent us on a patrol down here just to be safe."

"Yeah, she never actually thought you'd be down here though..." RG 02 trails off, looking at Chara inquisitively. 

"Y/N? Like, are you okay?" Asked 01.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Chara's mouth begins to twitch upward. They take no notice.

"OH! That's right, Undyne like, told us to Check you if we found you to make sure you weren't hurt." Chara laughs lightly.

"Really guys, there's no need for that, I'm fine. Don't worry about me-" You know for a fact that Chara would take great joy in surprising her victims like that.

"No, we insist. Captains orders." RG 02 says rather firmly, taking a battle stance and engaging you so he can make a Check. You feel yourself being jerked forward, and you suddenly find yourself blinded. Senses bombard you. The heat and glow from the lava, the gasps of shock from RG 01 and 02, Chara laughing like a maniac. But most prominent is the quiet tune playing. It sounds far away and muffled, but that's most likely just because of your situation. Its creepy, slow beat unnerves you. It sends shivers down your spine. That isn't natural. It sounds like death in the form of a song You then realize realize that because they engaged you in a fight, your soul was pulled out, but then that means...

You look around and find that, yes, Chara's soul is still firmly connected to yours. They slowly swirl around each other, tar dripping from Chara's soul across to yours. You can see that the tar has started to creep across part of your soul, about a third of the way v.

"Y/N! What is that!? (Wait, there's two souls there.)" 

"..." 02 is silent. He reaches his arm forward and Checks you.

* ~~_Ỵ̹̹̣̝̳͓ͧ͑̆ͨ͒̋͜/̨͇̳̻̈́̎̏͌ͮ̔N̲͕͚̪̮͔_~~ Chara, 44 ATK 14 DEF 18 LV

* Not what she seems.

* A human mage, deals damage with fire and a searing hot knife.

"Where did all that LV come from...?" They start to back away

"Oh no you don't." Chara says, matching them step for step. "You started this fight..."

**"Looks like I'm going to have to end it."** She laughs maniacally, pouncing on them suddenly. She swipes her knife, aiming to hit both in a single strike, but at the last second, RG 02 pushes 01 out of the way, taking the blow for him. He immediately crumbles to dust, not even getting a chance to say any last words.

_I'm the one doing this._

"02! NO!" 01 falls to his knees.

_I'm causing this pain._

_"_ Why would he do something so _stupid_." He sobs, then looks up to you. "Why would yousomething like this, Y/N!?" He's so heartbroken that he can't even bring himself to go for help. 

**"Don't you see?"** Chara asks, sauntering closer. **"I'm not Y/N, and yet this is _her_ doing." **Her face twists into a horrifying grin. Before he can answer, she cuts his throat, right where the gap between his chest plate and helmet is. He turns to dust.

_Chara is right. This is me._ I _killed them,_ I _gained the EXP,_ I'm _luring Sans to his death. Not Chara,_ me _._

You're falling into Chara's ploy, slowly loosing your grip on the reality of things. Now disengaged from combat, you don't even take notice as you slip back into the dark corner of your mind, once again becoming numb to the senses around you.

* Your LOVE increased to 19!

How did your LOVE get so high so quickly? You don't remember killing _that_ many monsters. Stragglers here and there, as well as 01 and 02 just now...

**"Well finally. I'm glad my own LOVE combined with the stuff _you've_ gained. It would have been a pain in my ass if it hadn't."** The fact that she talks so casually about this would normally fill you with rage, but all the energy you've so painstakingly saved up had been spent fretting over the fates of 01 and 02. You were back to square one.

"Mmm." Was all you could manage.

**"Broken toy, are we now?"** She said with a malicious grin. **"Though, don't give up just yet, we have yet to get to the _real_ fun. All broken toys are meant to be discarded of anyway, right Y/N? You'll get your chance."**

'All broken toys are meant to be discarded of anyway, right Y/N?'

I'm _meant to be discarded of anyway, right?_

_'You'll get your chance.'_

_~Sans's Perspective~_

The smell of smoke is thick in the air as I gaze at my house, nothing more than ashes and hot coals. The heat radiates in waves, though temperature has never been an issue for me. This fire is fairly new, and I can't help but shake in rage at the fact that just like that, timelines worth of memories are gone. This was supposed to be the _final_ timeline. Me and Y/N.

A thought suddenly strikes me, and I rush to the basement. At first glance to anyone else, nothing would seem out of place. In fact, It seems like everything is practically untouched considering the fire that had raged above. But one look at my worktable and you'll find that all my hard work and progress at fixing that damned machine are gone. My blueprints are nothing but ashes, the tarp protecting my machine is a melted mess, but the machine itself is unscathed, exposed without the tarp. This was clearly a choice made to send a message. Chara knows that this room stays the same throughout any reset. 

My magic, having been building with my anger, is finally welled to the top. Unable to contain it any longer, I let loose, summoning Blasters on all sides outside the crumbling house. I can hear their faint whine before the ceiling shakes. I hardly even noticed my own screaming.

Chara won't get away with making her do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 0wO
> 
> So, lets take a little recap shall we?
> 
> We have a power Hungry Chara, thirsting for dust and EXP.  
> We have a mentally broken down Y/N, unable to do anything but watch as her perfect world crumbles around her.  
> aand we have Sans, filled with rage that goes so deep, it might even compare to that of the genocide run.  
> Sounds like a good combo, everybody is in for a good time, especially you, dear reader ;)
> 
> Also thank you for all the people who've stuck with me so far throughout this book. I appreciate it a lot. It's what motivates me to write, knowing that people come back for more. Anyways, you know who you are.


	6. Lost

As predicted, Chara completely skipped Alphys's lab, just to spite you. Well, that isn't actually entirely true. She did stop in, and took an elevator down to a dusty old basement. She told you she was looking for something. When she didn't find it, she promptly left and kept on her way. Making all the way to MTT Resort without issue. Except for the fact that the resort turned into a ~~bloodbath~~ no, _dustbath._ There were only a couple monsters, but then again, who were you to say? You had been hiding in your own mind, filled with guilt and shame for what you'd let her do. How could you have been keeping track in your distress? For all you know it could have been hundreds of monsters and their families. Parents, children, relatives. All adding to the dust on your hands. You wondered what you were going to say to Sans. 

Since you've fallen into the Underground, Chara has abused your body. You haven't had any sleep since after you were injured, and you haven't eaten anything since the night you went missing. That night seemed so long ago, but it could have only been a couple days at most, maybe a week. Just goes to show how detached you are from the world in the little corner of your mind that you call home. 

Chara approaches a door on the far side of the main lobby of the resort. You're pretty sure it leads to The CORE. It's probably sweltering in there, considering it converts mass heat into energy. Your poor body. It's probably covered in blisters and suffering from heat exhaustion just from going through Hotland. Of course, these things don't deter Chara in the slightest. She's determined to get to... Wherever she's going.

Beyond the door is a long hallway leading to a room. There's a door on the right as well as the left and an elevator in the middle. Chara, seemingly knowing exactly where she's going, takes the door on the right.

"Why don't you just take the elev-" 

**"It won't work. Never does. None of them do, for that matter."** She says flatly, as if expecting the question. _Onward then._

The CORE surprises you. It's actually rather cool on the inside. The walls are made of a blue tinted metal, that stretch far above your head. They're also covered in machinery. Lights, buttons and systems, all integrated right into the walls. It seems like everything is automated. The security is also rather high, you realize, when you reach a room with a metal bridge covering a vast expanse that goes deeper than your eyes can see. There are literal _walls of_ _lasers_ moving back and forth, in colors both orange and blue covering the entire width of the bridge. You wonder if there's any significance to the colors, and how Chara is going to get through this one.

Chara takes a deep breath and steps forward. The first to come is an orange laser moving towards her. She barrels right at it. _She's gonna kill the both of us!_ She passes through it, completely unhurt. Next is a blue laser, moving away from her. She shadows closely to it and then pauses, the laser comes back around. Chara is completely still at the it passes over. This pattern continues until she reaches the last laser, an orange one. She runs towards it, impatient to keep moving. She passes over it, and right behind it is a blue laser. It speeds forward as Chara cries out and hastily tries to stop. She halts her running, and lands on one foot, wobbling with lack of balance. Unable to stay completely still, the laser passes over her and she yells in pain. You can hear the searing of flesh as it passes over her extended arm, though to you, it's nothing but a numb tingle.

Somehow, Chara manages to still herself long enough for the rest of the laser to pass over harmlessly. She staggers off the bridge and collapses, panting. All of your other injuries and exhaustion must finally be catching up to her.

**"I just... need... a moment... haah."**

Now's your chance! You've never tried anything like this before. You tentatively push forward, prodding around within your mind, until you come across an invisible barrier. You feel it out, looking for any weak spots. You find one. Taking a moment to collect yourself, you wait, making sure that Chara hasn't noticed. She's still laying on the ground. You strike the barriers weak spot, swift and hard with all the energy you have. It shatters, having been weakened by Chara's physical instability. Her soul floats in front of you. Chara's head snaps up.

**"What do you... think... you're doing?"** You're enraged by her words.

"I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ME. I'M THROWING YOU OUT LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE." You rush her, and push her out of her mental bubble. She shows little resistance. With her soul now floating fairly far away within the void of your mind, you're now sitting there. What now?

You have another idea. You focus, thinking about walls forming around your soul, protecting you. Rock hard and impenetrable. You turn around, and find that it had in fact, actually worked. You're now surrounded by adamant, glittering black rock. Everything goes white, and you suddenly find yourself on the cool, smooth floor of The CORE, in immense pain. You groan and roll over. You did it. You're _free_. 

You look up, and see one of the floating yellow lights at the end of the hall, less than 10 feet away. You get up, and power through your pain in exhaustion. It takes you longer than you would have liked, but you're finally standing in front of it. You reach your hand out, but hesitate. You don't even know what this thing does.

**"You don't even know what that _does_. You're clueless, _useless_ without me." **Chara suddenly spits out. You can feel her pushing on the walls in your mind, but you focus on keeping them strong, despite how weak you feel. Without letting yourself think about it, you grab the light. A jolt runs through you, and a panel appears. It reads:

Y/N LV 19 6336:26

The CORE

**_Save Return_ **

You hit the 'Save' panel, and a warmth spreads through your whole body. You look down to find that all of your injuries have vanished, as if they were wiped away. You're filled with determination.

Newly energized you move forward. As much as you'd love to explore, you know that your time is limited as much as you wish you could hold Chara off. You need to find someone to help you get out of here. Help you get back to Sans. And the only way to do that is to get out of here as fast as possible. You're just reaching the end of a hall, turning a corner when you realize just how difficult that might be. The room you turned into splits off into three hallways on every side of you, and from what you can see, there are more junctions within those hallways. Best thing to do is to keep straight, right? If you veer off, you might never get out of here.

You take that piece of common sense and keep moving, letting the blue and red of the walls blend together while you think about how the hell you're going to keep this up. The mental walls in your mind are draining, already you're feeling tired and weak from keeping them as strong as you have. Even if you get to Sans, how are you going to get Chara out of your body for good? You can't have a murderous child sitting in the back of your mind forever, that can't be good for your sanity.

**"Just let me back in. I'll help you get out of here. We can get out of this Hell together, you and I."** She ploys, trying to play the nice guy in your distress. You don't listen to her. Not like what you say is going to stop her plotting anyways. 

After what seems like forever, passing junction after junction, you finally make it to a single turn. This is it! You make it about five feet before your eyes actually focus on what's at the end of the hall. A dead end. With a frustrated sigh, you jog back to the last junction. Might as well keep right. That seems to have been the progression of the underground so far, maybe the trend continues. You reach a two way hallway, you turn left. Dead end. You go back and continue right, where it leads to another junction. _This place is a_ maze _._ You look down each hall as far as the eye can see. To your left seems most promising, as to the right looks like it leads back to the beginning. You can see the floating light from where you stand. You turn left. After a yet another long walk you find yourself at the end of another bridge covering the expanse of yet another abyss. There's a door here, along with another light. You feel rejuvenated apon 'Saving' at the light. 

Beyond the door is a large, empty room. The ceiling stretches pretty far above your head here. You look around, and find that at the end of the room is a doorway and from here you can see... _more hallways._

_Grey walls this time, about time we get some color._ You think to yourself sarcastically.

As you begin your long trek, your brain re- _minds_ you of your predicament. Chara has been awfully quiet since you took over, aside from the odd comment here or there. Pretty out of character, considering you kicked her out of your mind, which directly conflicts with her own intentions. Heck, she hasn't even really tried to get back in the metaphorical driver's seat since you took back control. You only start to hesitate, realizing you might have been played when you turn into a room. 

Long columns stretch from the floor to the ceiling all along the hall. Pane windows also decorate the walls. They're covered with the Deltarune, the same symbol Toriel has on just about every dress she wears. The symbol that depicted the prophecy of the angel that would come to _empy_ the underground. The windows seem to filter in real, natural sunlight despite the fact that you're deep _underground._ It casts a glow across the room. You can also hear the distant chatter of birds, you realize, somewhere off in the next room. The scene seems surreal, this room is ethereal.You walk over to the floating light and grab it.

* This hall that seems too beautiful to house the judgement of others... It fills you with DETERMINATION. 

You turn back to the hall, and see a too familiar figure leaning against the pillars as if he has a million times before. You can already feel the tears streaming down your face. He's looking at you, not moving to help you at all. You choke a sob and break into a run. It feels like you've just been thrown underwater, you feel numb. 

"SANS-" You stop short and gasp. You feel something sharp in your abdomen. Did he really..? You look down, choking on your own breath. It's Chara's knife, with _your_ hand clutching it.

"NO! nonono." Somewhere in the distance you can hear Sans running towards you, but you're too focused on all the blood pooling at your stomach and dripping on to the floor. 

**"You're a fool. A lovesick _fool. BOTH OF YOU ARE!_ "**

You had failed to notice that Chara had breached your mental barrier, and had shoved you out while you so foolishly weren't paying attention.

It had cost you your life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having fun. Are you having fun, because I'm having fun. Wait, did I already say that?
> 
> Also we're almost at the end of the book! One more chapter! I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow so you'll get a special treat before then ;)


	7. Anguished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N
> 
> Go easy on me. Fight scenes are not my forte. The whole reason why I'm here is to improve, anyway. Last chapter, man I can't believe it. It's been a hell of a ride over the past month, hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as I did writing :)
> 
> A/N (Upon Posting)
> 
> I know, I know. Author-Chan is terrible to Reader-Chan. It took me f o r e v e r to publish this, and I'm really sorry. What's even worse is that it's the last chapter, but I was having really bad writers block for the ending, and I couldn't figure out the details of what I wanted. What's even worse is that I was on vacation while I was having writers block, and that just made me want to write even less as I would have had to on a mobile device. In addition to that, school and work came around and slapped me in the face. I have so many other great ideas but unfortunately they have to be put on hold until I can sort school out. So please, take this chapter that I worked extremely hard to finish for you guys ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

_~Sans's Perspective~_

I can hear Y/N's approaching footsteps. I don't know how i'm going to get her out of this, but that doesn't mean I can give up on her. I keep my eyes focused on my feet, leaning against my pillar as I head her shuffling around near the door; probably saving. The footsteps stop.

I look up to see her form standing about twenty feet away from me. She's wearing my sweater, still way too big on her. It seems to be waving in a breeze that isn't there. No matter how Chara provokes me here, I refuse to hurt Y/N. She looks up to me, but the malicious grin is absent from her face. Instead, I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Is that...?

"SANS-" Y/N yells, running towards me. It's really her. How the hell did she manage-

Y/N gasps, and falls to her knees. I can feel my eyes go wide. This can't be happening. There's blood, so much blood.

"NO! nonono." I feel myself running towards Y/N, but a too familiar voice forces me to stop.

**"You're a fool. A lovesick _fool. BOTH OF YOU ARE!_ " **Y/N is going to die, and if I get too close to her, so will I. I stand, helpless to do anything but watch as she gasps on the floor. Y/N is gone, if she was even there to begin with. Chara is going to reload, and... _oh gods. She's going to... she's going to make me watch Y/N die over and over and overandoverandover- NO! You can stop this Sans. You can get her out of this._

I see the light leave Y/N's eyes. God Dammit. I couldn't even protect her. Doesn't matter that she'll reload any moment, I still let it happen. I can feel the tears streaming down my cheeks. Instinctively, I brace myself for Chara to reload But it doesn't come.

I look up towards Y/N, and walk cautiously towards her body. I get close enough that the stench of blood hits me, It makes my non-existent stomach roil. I force myself to look closer and upon examination, I realize that both Y/N and Chara's souls are missing. I didn't see them shatter, either. So where the hell are they?

_~Your Perspective~_

You're back in the void, once again nothing more than a lost soul after you had come _so damn close!_ Worse than that, you _died._ You died and your last conversation with Sans had been a fight. Everything you went through to get there had all been for nothing. Now you get to spend all of time sitting in the void, contemplating every decision you ever made.

**"Well that went well."** You turn around, and find that Chara's soul is still linked to yours. More tar seems to have accumulated between them, but compared to before, it seems it's progression had slowed at one point. Right now it's back in full force, covering over half of your soul in black.

"YOU! I'M GOING TO BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Without thinking, you rush her, trying to do anything but stand by and continue to let her get away with anything and everything. It seems she wasn't expecting your sudden attack, as you manage to ram yourself into her pretty damn hard. She stumbles backwards and yelps. She quickly recovers and jumps right back on you. Not being able to do much real fighting as nothing more than souls, you squabble for a few minutes, with Chara seemingly trying to get past you rather than actually fight you. Odd. 

You and Chara eventually draw back to your respective sides, catching your non-existent breath. You realize that the this entire time you've been blocking Chara's path to a panel similar to that you used to 'save'. It reads 'Continue' on one side and 'Reset' on the other. You're about to approach her again, this time with new intent when you hear a sob sound out. It seems to be echoing from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. You pause to listen, and you quickly realize that it's Sans. His cries are filled with grief and sorrow.

"god dammit, Y/N.. why.." His voice is cracked and rough. How long has he been crying? You're filled with guilt at the thought, but you can't let Chara get to that panel, no matter her intentions. Even if it means staying here for eternity, you'd do it just to protect Sans. You turn back to her but she's already flinging herself at you in your distracted state. Before you can even react, she shoves you to the side, then begins to spin you around using the strings of tar linking you together. Using that momentum she throws you outward, far away from the panel, giving her just enough time to rush to the panel, hitting 'continue'.

*** * ***

A sense of deja-vu hits you as you take in the familiar lighting of the hall. This isn't possible, you were _dead._ You watch from within your mind as Chara approaches Sans, resting against the same pillar as if nothing ever happened. The only difference this time is that you can clearly see the blue tears staining his cheeks. _He remembers._

Chara takes her time in approaching Sans. _She knows that her slow gait does nothing but give him more time to slip up. She knows it drives him crazy._

_"_ what are you getting out of this? why did you put Y/N in the middle of this?" Sans's eyes are dark. "she doesn't deserve this." More and more blue magic sparks at his sides with each passing word. _She's going to have a bad time,_ you think smugly to yourself.

**"It's not about who deserves what Sans. It's about the end result. You of all people should know this, no?"** Her smile is snakelike.

This seems to set Sans off. There was clearly some tension and background that you had no context to. Sans never told you anything about the Underground, so you couldn't understand the gravity of your situation, even if you tried.

He takes on a more aggressive stance, jumping away from the pillar. The magic that had been sparking and whisping around his figure shoot up towards the ceiling of the hall and converge, forming four giant animal like skulls spaced evenly in a semi circle around him. They're emanating a low whine, and you find it rather intimidating. But Chara takes this new development in stride, taking a step forward, grin widening. _She's crazy._

"You wouldn't hurt me, right Sansy~" She mocks in your voice. Rather than faltering, Sans only seems more sure of himself. The whining from the skulls becomes higher pitched, and Sans begins to levitate slightly off the ground, magic curling around him. You feel a pressure on your soul, and you find that it's been turned blue, floating outside your body alongside Chara's, still keeping your soul hostage under it's dark grip. _He's engaged me in combat. Just do what you have to do, Sans._

You hear the Blasters go off, and the room is filled with a light brighter than any imaginable. Chara doesn't move, as if to relish in taking the hit. From that alone you thought you'd be dead for sure, but when Chara looks up, you can see that there is a gaping hole just shy of where Chara is standing. He missed. Intentionally or not, he _missed_.

No, Chara called his bluff, and he knew he couldn't challenge it. He drops to the floor, and let's go of your souls. Immediately, Chara dashes forward at inhuman speed, knife extended, but Sans is quicker. He teleports a couple feet back. Chara, expecting this move, jumps into the air, using her previous momentum to propel her forward. She brings her blade down, and Sans, only just finishing his teleport has a split second to react, teleporting to the side just as Chara's knife clashes to the ground. 

She summons a barrage of floating red knives above her head and send them flying at him from all directions. Where he's not dodging them, he's summoning walls of bones to his defense. You can hear the 'Thunk!' of the blades being embedded deep into the walls as Chara continues her endless assault, leaving Sans on the ceaseless defense. 

She jumps forward again, knife in one had, fire in the other. She shoots colorful ball of fire at Sans, aimed right for the chest. He jumps to the side, the fire singeing his sleeve as it goes past. His HP ticks down to 0.9.

Meanwhile, you're having an internal conflict, not even noticing his HP drop. You want Sans to do anything in his power to stop Chara. If she manages to leave the underground, god knows what she might do. On the other hand, you know for a fact based on his first 'attack' that he wont lay a finger on her if it means hurting you in the process. If you did die, you could reset. But you don't know to an extent a reset does. How far back would it bring you? Would you, or Sans, for that matter, remember anything? Would this just become an endless cycle, you making the same fatal mistake of climbing the mountain over and over for eternity? A ragged, deep voiced cry snaps you from your stupor. 

"AH! Y/N where are you!? i know you're in there somewhere, i _saw_ it" He yells between dodges. "have you really given up so easily on me?" His voice cracks. It almost sounds like he's crying. Now that you're paying attention, you can hear is shallow, uneven breathing, sweat dripping down his temples. The fact that he actually believes that tears you apart. You want to wonder how could he think that you'd ever abandon him, but your kindness allows you to see his lack of hope, his perspective. You can see it, he's been abandoned before, and he was reluctant to open up to others again, especially humans. But he did for you, and now he's afraid that that decision has come back to bite him in the ass. You don't notice a green glow lighting up the void.

**"Aw. Little Sansy gonna cry?"** Chara mocks. Everything unfolding around you, all this tension between them, you can see behind it. Sans is afraid of loosing you, but Chara has a grief, it's not quite clear as to why though. Seems to be muddled with time. All you can make out is that she lost someone. Someone truly important to her. She uses the loss and pain of others to sate that grief — the **_HATE_** for those who caused her this pain — in her soul. You feel empathy for her. She isn't the only one who's lost people close to them.

Sans, on the other hand, closes himself off and plays his issues off for the sake of Papyrus. You can sense his laziness carries more weight and reason than he lets on. He gives you a sense of compassion and reason. You want to help him through it all. You _love_ him.

You look down to your soul. At this point it's entirely covered in thick, black goo. You can feel the weight it carries. It makes your soul feel heavy, and not all literally. It makes you feel like anything bad happening is the end of the world. It makes you feel sad without reason. But it's alright. You shut your metaphorical eyes and relax.

You feel warm, and well, content, despite what's going on. Something bright flashes, and you open your eyes in surprise. Your soul is glowing green. Your actual soul. You can see it through the rapidly crumbling tar. It falls uselessly to the ground, dissipating into nothing. Your mind feels a lot clearer. You now realize how muddled with darker thoughts your mind had been before. How had you not noticed the signs?

**"WHAT!? IMPOSSIBLE!"** Chara cries, focusing her entire attention inward rather than the battle before her on this new development. Sans senses this moment of distraction throws the remainder of his magic outward forming a cage of thick bones around her, preventing her escape. Chara is seething, spitting profanities as she shakes in rage from within the cage. She suddenly stills, and gives Sans an eerie smile.

**"You're never going to get her back, you know. I'll make sure of it."** She starts to giggle. **"Even if you do, she'll never be the same. I want to make sure you know that I did this. I gave her the scars she now bears."** She's laughing like a maniac now. **"A reminder that no matter how many times you think you've won, Sans... no matter how many times you've think you've reached your happy ending, I'll always find a way to come back. Through saves, resets. Hell, i'd travel through the multiverse just to make you relive the pain I've caused you."** Nothing you're hearing makes sense, and you don't have time to decipher the words of a psychopath. But maybe...? You reach into your newfound power and grab Chara's soul. You search for what your looking for, deep under all the HATE she's buried herself in. You can faintly hear her screaming at you to get out, squirming under your grip. There it is! So, his name is Asriel, huh? You pull the memory out with your power, and project it into the void around you.

_You're standing in the very first room of the underground under the bed of flowers. In front of you are two figures. The first is unmistakably Chara. She sits contentedly on the ground next to the second figure, Asriel, a fluffy goat monster who looks uncannily like the child of Asgore and Toriel._ But they don't- oh...

_They're both picking flowers. Buttercups, to be exact._

_"Chara... I don't think this is a good idea. Remember dad? When he got sick, he didn't die, but he suffered real bad. I don't want to see that happen to you. You don't have to do this for me; For monsters. It's not your responsibility, even if you're human."_

_"Oh Asriel, my goal is greater than that. I've considered everything; every angle. You don't have to worry about me, everything will go as it's supposed to as long as you listen to me."_

_"O-okay." He seems extremely unsure of whatever she's scheming._

_She stands up, and turns to face him, grabbing him gently by the shoulders. "I need you to trust me. This won't work if you don't." She sighs and gives him a small smile. "All of this is for you, for mom and dad. All our friends. And then, when it's all over, and we have our seven souls, I'll be with you forever! You wont ever have to worry about me leaving you because_ i'll always be there." _Even here, she seems just a little too absorbed in her own plans to really use common sense._

_I hear Asriel sniffling, and suddenly he's hugging her, words muffled by Chara's sweater. "I-i know it'l be o-okay. I t-trust you. A-and I won't have to worry about you leaving me when you d-d-die because of your lifespan because you'll already be..."_ What in the hell had Chara done?

You can't take watching anymore, so you pull back from the memory, slightly disoriented from using your power so abruptly. Chara is floating in front of you, silent tears running down her face.

"You could go see him, you know." You pause and sigh, looking up to meet her gaze. "You don't have to keep doing this anymore. This pain you inflict on others in act of vengeance only add to the grief and HATE in your heart." You pause again. "You know... you know he misses you, right? You could have gone to see him again a long time ago."

Chara's face shows immense gratitude, as if she might have finally found some inner peace. She offers a small smile before she fades away. Hopefully she sees Asriel again someday.

You look up to Sans and smile as best you can. You're utterly exhausted, but you force yourself to your feet and wordlessly extend your hand. His face is covered in sweat and dust, and he's sobbing quietly.

"how..how...how..." He takes your hand, and faster than you can blink, pulls you into an embrace. His scent wraps around you and you almost melt on the spot. You missed him so much. 

"Let's go home." Your voice is hoarse. 

"Let's go home." You repeat. "No more secrets, no more half-truths. We do everything as a team."

"So let's go home and heal."

"Together."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be completely honest, i'm not even very satisfied with this ending. I'm not really sure what it is, but I couldn't wait any longer because I feel so guilty for not posting the last chapter for, what was it, like 3 months? Like jesus christ i'm so sorry. If you do decide to stick around, I have a super cool Idea for an OC Universe that I think is actually pretty decent. I'm not sure when I'll be able to start planning and writing, but it's definitely on the to do list. Thank you so much to all those who stuck with this fic while I was writing it, it meant the world to me.


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